


The Feeling of Winter

by thescyfychannel



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, Ice Skating, PCHOOO, and like the big dorks they are, icy butts everywhere, in which everyone goes ice skating, the Jade/Dave is implied, totally mess it up, well a little more than implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-11
Updated: 2013-11-11
Packaged: 2017-12-31 21:55:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1036810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thescyfychannel/pseuds/thescyfychannel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A game with a funny little sense of humor translates to a new start in Colorado, and now you're wondering how to survive without freezing. It's a good thing you have friends.</p><p>Helping half of your friends adjust to cold weather is going to be an interesting experience! Good thing you're more than up to the task.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Shall We Skate?

The end of the world was treating you spectacularly well! One fantastic win later, and you'd all headed back to your respective homes. The trolls had chosen Beforus, and your group had cosen the first iteration of Earth, the one that the Condesce hadn't sunk her talons into. Admittedly, it had been rather awkward at first. Dirk and Roxy had basically _doubled_ , and now you and John had two dads between you, but that worked out fine because Jade and Jake still needed somewhere to stay.

At any rate! That game had the darnedest sense of humor. It dropped you all in Colorado, and it had taken a little while to get everyone sorted out. Roxy, Rose, and Rose's Mom (who was technically Roxy, if you thought about it!) had a house that was exactly the same to their old one, just moved a third of the way across the country. Dirk, Dave, and Dave's Bro (who was  _also_ Dirk! So confusing) had a new penthouse apartment that wasn't too far away from the suburban houses where you, Jake, John, Jade, and BOTH Dads had been dropped.

John's Dad took Jade in, and Jake was now your housemate, although he and Jade and you and John visited one another so much that it was really hard to tell who lived where. All of the Striders and Lalondes had managed to squeeze in together, and things were working out pretty well.

 

If only you could get Dirk and Roxy and Jake and Jade acclimated to living in the normal world!

 

The four of them had been virtual _hermits_ until the game began, and they still had some trouble dealing with other people. Jade was doing a better job of it than the other three, but you still had to explain little things, like post offices and buses and holidays and school. Surprisingly enough, they already had identities in the system, which might have been attributed to the game mechanics, or a certain elite hacking team.

You had all passed the summer in relative comfort, and the first semester of high school had been delightfully ordinary.

Now all you had to do was face the rather daunting task of getting the four of them used to _winter_.

 

* * *

 

Rose had gone off on a knitting frenzy the moment that she had realized you were all in a place with snow. Dave and Bro were the only two from this iteration of Earth that hadn't had to deal with cold weather, which meant that they didn't have any cold weather clothes in their new apartment. Jade was about your size, and John and Jake could easily share, but the situation of the Strider-Lalonde clan had necessitated a group-wide shopping trip to get them set.

John had dragged off Jade, who snagged Jake, and Rose escorted Roxy and Dave somewhere into the depths of the store. You were a little scared for them, but Bro's fate was much worse: your Dad and John's Dad was going to pick his outfits, with Rose's Mom offering advice.

Which left you with Dirk. Oh.

 

"Thanks for rescuing me from that, Jane. As glad as I am that we're all together again, I sincerely doubt that Rose and Dave and Roxy would make for decent clothing choices, whether they're sober or not." He flashes you a grin, and your heart skips a beat. "Orange might be my favorite color, but I'm not planning to spend the winter decked out like a...traffic cone." It's just a slight pause, hardly noticeable, but it's still there.

You smile back at him, then wave broadly at the male section. "Honestly, we would be better off shopping online! But I _shalln't_ deny that the experience is a necessary one." Dirk has to bite down on a snort, and you tug him off into the racks of clothing. "Now I know you appreciate irony, but coat shopping is not the place for it. You don't want to wind up in something silly due to a complex form of japery that none but Striders will ever fathom."

"Which is why I'm leaving the fashion decisions to you. And I'm claiming veto power right now." He's starting flipping through the coats on the discount rack, grimacing at a particularly garish specimen. It's covered in squiddles. "Maybe we should hide this one before Jade finds it."

"Good thinking." The coat gets stashed somewhere in the depths of the spinning carousel, and the both of you wander off into the depths of the store.

 

After several hours of shopping, you all meet up at the register. Jade had somehow managed to root out the squiddles coat, and Rose barely repressed a shudder, insisting that she needed to go for a heavy green coat as well. Bro had escaped the worst of the dual Dad's serious suggestions, but Rose's Mom had gotten him kitted up like Sherlock. "I wanted to look like the Tenth Doctor, c'mon, I could _rock_ that."

"Bro, you're not supposed to tell them we watch that!" That was definitely Dave whining. He'd been stuffed into a black and red ski jacket, and it suited him rather nicely. Rose had snagged him a second jacket, black leather, and he seemed slightly more pleased with it. Roxy had found a rather nice dark blue coat, and a comfortable-looking pink jacket, and she and Rose were admiring it. Rose's arms were full of other cold weather gear, including some heavy duty socks. Jake had gone for a camo pattern outfit, and you were rather proud of the work you'd done for Dirk.

 A black wool peacoat that suits him perfectly, if you may say so yourself, and a fluffy gray vest that reminds you of birds. There had been an orange version, but he'd insisted that it wasn't the _right_ orange, and anyway, the gray vest had orange trim, which worked out nicely.

It took a little while to deal with the cashiers, who certainly hadn't been expecting to cater to eight teenagers and four parents, some of whom barely looked responsible enough to drive. Not that you're naming any names, of course! But if it wasn't cashiers, then it was cars, and it took a while to get everything sorted out. Somehow Roxy had gotten traded for Dave somewhere along the way, and everyone was thoroughly confused until you'd talked them all into heading out for burgers and ice cream to get sorted out.

 

* * *

 

Of course, now you needed to get them used to winter. And you and John and Rose had come to the conclusion that the best way would be to go skating. They would have to practice dressing up for warmth, and it would give them a chance to get used to attempting not to slip horribly on ice. So it was another round of carpooling and promises to be back before midnight, and you were all off to the skating rink.

 

Everyone broke off into their groups, those who needed teaching pairing up with those who didn't. You skated off with Jake, but he obviously didn't need your help in the slightest. In fact, he had a few goshdarned impressive tricks of his own. Maybe this was a Harley-English-Egbert thing, because Jade and John seemed to be going off like maniacs, with poor Dave in tow. In fact, even Roxy was doing rather well, skating in elegant circles with Rose. The only one who wasn't actually out on the ice was....

Dirk.

 

You excuse yourself politely and skate over to him. He's leaning back against the wall of the rink, watching the rest of you, and you tap him on the shoulder. He blinks up at you, tilting his head quizzically. You offer him a hand, grinning. "Shall we skate?"


	2. She listens like spring and she talks like June

For once in your life, you were doubting the Strider status of "good at everything you try". Oh sure, you'd decided to hang back and watch the others, hoping to get a feel for the sport before you went out and made an utter fool of yourself. And hey, Harley, English, and Rox would all be just as bad as you and Dave. The Harley-English kids had lived on an island for crying out loud, and you and Roxy had been all but hermits. Dave lived in Texas. You definitely wouldn't be alone.

And then Jake goes skating off with Jane, and apparently he knows more fancy tricks than the rest of you put together. He starts pulling out moves that you'd only seen in old reruns of the Olympics, all while wearing much more masculine clothing (everyone mourned the loss of the shorts). Jade lacked finesse, but she was skating around the rink like a demented swallow, laughing gleefully as she snatched Dave from his "cool kid" pose on the wall. She and John had each grabbed one of Dave's arms and hauled him off as he protested. Maybe not great, but definitely enthusiastic. Actually, you could hear a pchooo under all of Dave's screaming. Kid definitely needed to settle down.

Rox had been your last hope. Maybe Jake or Jade had some lessons before they moved out to the island, or tried skating on ice floes. Or something like that. But no, when you looked over at Roxy, she was skating circles with Rose. They were even doing that sisterly arm-linked thing you'd see in old movies, and you'd swear they were doing it for the irony.

 

Either way, all of this evidence added up to you being completely awful at skating, and you weren't willing to embarrass yourself by starting out on the walkers. You were nearly seventeen, and that would have been humiliating. Much better to hang back and watch the others. They're having fun, and it's nice, for once. Not having to worry about death by Batterwitch or near-sentinent game.

Then someone taps your shoulder, and you blink up at them. Jane's offering you a hand, and you're about two seconds away from declining and she says

"Shall we skate?"

 

* * *

 

 

You're only going to remember this vaguely, you think, as you grab her hand and let her lead you out into the rink. It's scary going at first, trying to figure out how to hold onto Jane without overbalancing her. Eventually she settles on leaving her arm out where you can hold onto it, and you find a wobbly sort of balance.

The first few laps are the worst. It's a little comforting every time Dave goes whizzing by—John's gone off to pull tricks with Jake, and Dave's sort of resigned himself to being dragged along. They'd be cute together, if only Dave could get his head out of his ass long enough for Jade to make a move. Rose and Rox were still looking as classy as ever, and you had given up on being jealous.

Jane had your back, though, and she was more patient than Sawtooth. After a few minor corrections, you probably could have skated at a decent level on your own. But you were still a little nervous. Not enough to admit it, of course, a Strider didn't do that sort of thing.

"You're doing just fine, Dirk!" She's smiling at you, when you manage to glance up at her, and your momentary lack of concentration nearly sends you both into a snowbank. But Jane recovers _magnificently_ , and you cheat a little with the flash-stepping. Not bad. Not bad at all.

 

You're still not used to all of these _people_ , though. Going from the internet and robots to a place where you could speak to anyone on the street was tough. Not to mention that your foreknowledge should be used conservatively. Rox had an easier time of it, what with all of her carapacian friends, but the both of you still got twitchy.

For instance, when someone hit play on the (shit, what was it called again) the boombox, you reached instinctively for a strifedeck that wasn't there. Oh. Right.

Even though Jane recognizes the motion, she doesn't call you out on it. "A lot of people tend to play music at the highfalutin indoor skating rinks. So when there's one out in the open like this, someone will invariably bring along music!"

"So it's not the prelude to some Satanic ritual, then? That's a damn shame, I was hoping to cross it off my bucket list." You crack a grin, and she laughs, and the tense moment eases away.

 

You don't recognize a lot of the songs. Some of them you only know because your Bro used them for his admittedly shitty movies, others, you'd found while trawling the depths of the internet. Jane had sent you a few of her favorites before, same with Jake and Roxy, but a lot of them were a weird mix of old and new for you. Logically, you knew these songs had just come out. But some part of your brain kept saying that they'd been out for years on end, and they definitely qualified as oldies music.

Then a song comes on that's old by even this world's standards, and Jane's eyes light up. Hell, the whole place seems charged with energy, and it feels like everyone's just waiting for the opening chords to clear out the air.

When the first line starts, the song rises and swells, buoyed up by half a hundred voices, near about everyone who was on the ice or the sidelines joining in. There's a crystal clear voice twining with the melody right next to you, and it takes you a minute to realize that holy shit, Jane Crocker can sing. Even Dave's joining in, arms linked with Jade (he's finally gotten the hang of it), and Jake with John, Roxy with Rose. They're waiting on you.

"Tell me, did you sail across the sun?" And while they all know who you're singing for (all of them, all of your friends), there's no question in your mind about who you're singing to.

But you finally get it, and you pull away from Jane, skating off down the rink. She chases after you, and the both of you are barely managing to keep up the song between laughter. By the time she grabs your outstretched hand again, you've done another lap, and you greet her with, "plain ol' Jane, told a story about a man who was too afraid to fly so he never did land!" And she joins in, and it's hardly melodious.

And for once it doesn't matter, being better than everyone else, even being _good_. Right now the only thing that matters is "Your best friend always sticking up for you, even when I know you're wrong," and this is nearly your first dance, you're willing to count it. Your five hour conversations took place online, but you've both kept one another up late on the phone these days.

Way back when, you told Roxy that you didn't see why it had to be a thing, whether you were gay or not. And now you're starting to see why.

 

Two seconds after the song ends, you lean in to kiss Jane, and the both of you topple into a snowbank.

You're pretty sure you don't care.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a two-part fanfic, written for ainsil and janestrider, of Ask the Human Heiress and Ask the Prince of Irony, respectively! ((http://askthehumanheiress.tumblr.com/ and http://ask-the-prince-of-irony.tumblr.com/))
> 
> Here are the songs:  
> Part one: Shall We Dance - The King and I ((http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdfAM4L6ceg))  
> Part two: Drops of Jupiter - Train ((https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xf-Lesrkuc))


End file.
